Photograph: The Church of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate in the shadow of "The Gherkin," which houses corporate offices in London's financial district.  Photo credit: Roger Vander Steen | Public Domain, Wikimedia. The church building dates from the 12th century, which began with the London Council of Churches abolishing slavery in 1102 AD.  It serves an evangelical Anglican congregation.  In 1608, Sir Alberico Gentili, founder of the study of international law, was buried there.  Its location at the heart of the former British Empire and center of financial capitalism - which is dependent on the rule of law of nation-states - exemplifies the challenge of being a faithful Christian community in the midst of modern nation-states. 

Introduction

The selection of perspectives on church history in this section — Church and Empire — has been guided by three factors: (1) to demonstrate that Christianity has not been a “white man’s religion”; (2) the study of empire as a recurring motif in Scripture by recent biblical studies scholars; and (3) explorations of biblical Christian ethics on issues of power and polity, to understand how Christians were faithful to Christ or not.  Christian relational ethics continues a Christian theological anthropology that began with reflection on the human nature of Jesus, and the human experience of biblical Israel. The issues in this section overlap with those raised in the section on Politics, International Relations: Global Issues.

This section explores the experience and activities of Christians navigating the Nation-State. In Nation-States, one coalition of peoples and interests tends to dominate other people groups. Christians need to be aware of this pattern, and in many cases, counteract it, especially when Christians demographically are part of the ruling coalition. They need to reject “Christian Nationalism,” especially.

Messages and Resources

Debate on Facebook about Pete Hegseth’s Extreme "Christian Nationalist" Blasphemy

A debate on Facebook, Feb 6, 2026. Pete Hegseth, who calls himself “the Secretary of War,” said at the “National Prayer Breakfast” on Feb 5, 2026, “The warrior who is willing to lay down his life for his unit, his country, and his Creator, that warrior finds eternal life.”

Christians Challenging Nation-States:

Christians Capitulating to Nation-States:

 
 

Church and Empire: Topics:

This page is part of our section on Church and Empire. These resources begin with a biblical exposition of Empire in Church and Empire and the meaning of Pentecost in Pentecost as Paradigm for Christianity and Cultures, then grouped by region.